Wots been happenin here

ididjaustralia · **Posted:** Fri Sep 10, 2010 2:19 am

Just a bit of a run down on wots been happenin and why I've been quiet... I'm about to move and iDIDJ Australia will be moving with me... going to new premises and will be able to set up a showroom which I'm really looking forward to... the hugest collection of the oldest, most diverse and greatest didges you'll ever see in one place, plus a great reference library of all the relevant literature numbering hundreds of titles, an enormous audio and video collection which I'm hoping to have stored on a stand-alone computer for visitors to access.

Though it sounds big, I'd like to keep it low key so researchers and hardcore trad freaks r welcome to visit and stay and it isn't really open to the public

Other than that, been online a lot on my mobile phone since I woz introduced to and got signed up for a chat site by families in Arnhem Land... hundreds of family members on there and been dealing with all sorts of issues like my brothers-in-law and my sisters-in-law talking about suicide and stuff. Interesting insights tapping straight into the minds of young people and the sorts of things they're grappling with. Tried to be a counsellor - don't know if I did a good job, connected father with daughter in one case, talked guys out of doing harm to themselves in several instances. The site is like a combination of Twitter and Facebook, there's constantly 20-50 friends from Arnhem Land on at any one time, the uptake of technology like I said is amazing.

Anyway enuf from me, any1 else with news?

Guan

kdidj · **Joined:** Fri Mar 23, 2007 1:03 am **Posts:** 470

Great news on the showroom! Take some pics when it's all set up for those of us not able to pop over so easily.

You can tell you've been on your phone a lot as you've adopted 'text speak'!

JohnK · **Posted:** Fri Sep 10, 2010 8:44 pm

Hi Guan,

Nice to hear from you! Are you moving within Melbourne? Great news about the showroom, let me know if I can give you a hand...maybe a cabinet maker could be usefull, and I'm not far away.

Here all good, plenty of work, less free time.

Take care,
John

martin · **Joined:** Thu Mar 22, 2007 11:25 pm **Posts:** 151

Thanks for the news Guan. Great to hear that ididj is finding a more comfy home. I am really looking forward to dropping by next time
I am passing by:)
News.. New band, Toma. Further development of my new hybrid instrument, the electric medusa. It has even had a couple of
concert outings. Physics research slow but going.
Summer is over and my son is back to school on Monday, which means I have the mornings freer and I can get back to some serious trad practice.
We are planning to get down there about the middle of 2011. Will you have finished moving your thousands of instruments by then..?

all the best for everything.
Martin

PSYmon · **Posted:** Sun Sep 12, 2010 11:28 am

Hey Guan!

So good to hear that things are evolving for you, as they are for all beings. I'm very excited for you, and hearing about your move and plans to establish an ididj center to centralize everything ididjaustralia is about. Your plan sounds incredible, and I cant wait to hear more about the space and what u are manifesting there. I wish I could be back in OZ to help you with things.

The Yolngu chat site you were talking about sounds really interesting, and like it is a very positive force for people who are having a tough time in their life. I truly admire and respect how you continue to devote so much of your energy to people who are in trouble, in one way or another. I would be very interested in learning more about this site, as it seems like a way to stay directly connected to some Yolngu who I became friends with up in NEAL (if they are on the site.) Do you have some sort of link available? Are any on facebook?

For me, I am just starting my final year of uni. Things are going well. I am doing my senior thesis on Zimbabwean music in the US. Was going to go for another grant to get me back to Oz, but the plan fell through, and another professor (from Africa) offered to help me pursue this. Should be interesting. However, my first choice in a thesis was to try and make a documentary about indigenous tourism in Australia. Perhaps after I graduate...

Good to hear all is well.

Cheers,
-Simon

ididjaustralia · **Posted:** Sun Sep 12, 2010 2:53 pm

Moving 2morow, will give myself a week or so and do it slowly with a removal truck, I'm moving within Melbourne John, thanx 4 ur offer to help too guys... I should be ok at this stage. N im gonna count how many sticks I have for da 1st time in years Martin, I don't think it will be in the thousands! Will take pics once I'm settled in no probs.

Simon, the site is called airg and it is only accessible thru a smartphone. It is an international site but within Australia, it seems to be that the majority of users are Indigenous, really strange... In Australia too, through Telstra, it is free to access and there's no meter charge apparently which explains why so many Yolngu use it!

To see if you can join, go to the following webpage:

http://www.airg.com

and punch in your mobile phone number and country

It gets a bit depressing some days, for example, a couple of messages recently:

Quote:

NO 1 DNT EVEN CARE 4 ME OR LOVE ME THEY JUS TREAT ME LYK SHIIT DATS Y IM SLICING MYSELF FHUCK IT NOT WORTH IT BEIN LYF & GETTIN HURT BEIN DEAD IS MORE BETTA WEIR I CARN'T B HURT ANY MORE - friend from near Katherine

Thats alrite marrkapmi, im getting betta everyday thankx 2 god n the family @ wallaby saying prayers 4 me every nite - Dhanggal's daughter who got bashed and got broken bones at Gove and ended up in Darwin hospital

Larry is on there, Elijah and his brothers, families from Ramingining, Milingimbi, Elcho, Yirrkala, Maningrida, Numbulwar, Groote, Croker, Goulburn, Gapuwiyak, desert, etc. etc. You can upload pics, send private messages, post your thoughts publicly, set up a profile page, and so on and so forth.

Lots of families on Facebook too but more on airg - Facebook seems to be used by older Yolngu whereas airg is mainly the thing for teenagers and those in their 20s to early 30s.

Other news.... Galarrwuy is not so well, his health is going downhills, he bought some things from me recently through his Gumatj Association... a bark painting painted by his father Munggurrawuy and also a couple of vinyl LPs which feature Galarrwuy on it as a young lad. Could be a sign that he doesn't have long to go, I dunno.

K, gotta keep packing...

Catch u guys and looking forward 2 hearing more news from you,

Guan

mahoran · **Posted:** Tue Sep 14, 2010 6:36 pm

Hi Guan,

I am glad to see that you have alreayd found a place and started moving in slowly. the new concept with the showroom and access to loads of data is very much appealing.

Wish you the best

Mahir

ididjaustralia · **Posted:** Wed Sep 15, 2010 1:26 pm

Did any1 overseas check out airg? Any1 of u get on it??

Guan

davefinch · **Posted:** Fri Sep 17, 2010 9:00 pm

Hi Guan,
Goodness!!! Exciting stuff indeed and a wonderful idea - I can see you ending-up with a swanky institute on a big Uni campus...

Counselling is the toughest job I came across in my stint in the health service. Even those at the top of their profession doubted, and sought reassurance in the stats that they were making a difference. Sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't, but it was always worth it for the one person that responded. My hat is off to you but remember that counsellors themselves get regular counselling to cope with the emotional workload.

As for me, these last few months I've been grafting 24/7 in the studio helping my wife establish a music publishing business/record label. Hard work, massive learning curve but great fun! If we do make any cash expect lumps to be thrown in your general direction...

ididjaustralia · **Posted:** Sat Sep 18, 2010 1:02 am

Hi guys,

I'm going to write everyday in this thread "Wots been happenin here", sorta like a blog. Everyone welcome to post too, hope I'm not hogging this space but this is therapy for me... and hope it is for you too!

Anyway, haven't really told many people but might as well make it public and that is I've been going to counseling recently, and have also been to see a psychologist for an assessment of my mental health, just had an appointment yesterday... the news is I've got post-traumatic stress disorder, moderate levels of anxiety, and a high degree of clinical depression.

Also yesterday, it happened again. A sister-in-law of mine passed away yesterday in north-east Arnhem Land, a young girl who hung herself, yothu-djarimirr, daughter of a Galpu woman. I've said it before and I'll say it again, this IS a crisis. I know most people on here aren't really interested in what goes on in Arnhem Land, but that's the whole focus of my work - and my life. There might be a day when the only yidaki players you see are on YouTube... I started out many years ago being interested purely in the yidaki, chasing the sound to its source so to speak, though it would be fair to say now that there is a whole universe out there in the Top End of Australia that fascinates me in a bigger way. And it all comes back to the people, with no people there is no culture, no music, no dance, no song, no language, no yidaki.

Will try to brighten up the news... Lirrwi is officially established as of yesterday!

There are some REALLY good people working on this, highly intelligent folk with integrity and their hearts in the right place. We're blessed really to have talent like this, when most of the time, people working in remote communities are disappointing to say the least.

Talking of Lirrwi, is there anyone interested in a Masterclass with Djalu before the end of the year? If so, PM me. I've had a few inquiries about dates for next year and was asked yesterday to make some tentative dates for 2 Masterclasses for Djalu in 2011. So guys spread the word and let's get some numbers for Djalu for this year and next year.

The house moving is still in progress. Met a friendly Macedonian neighbour who strode down the driveway to say hi and we ended up talking for much longer than I had time for, but it was good. Seems all the immediate neighbours are great people so I'm really looking forward to settling in. Will have a chance to put up my gigantic Yothu Yindi poster again in the new showroom, I pinched the poster off a wall some years ago as a trophy

Talking about Yothu Yindi, Mandawuy's birthday today, wishing him many more birthdays to come and let's all pray that he gets the kidney transplant he so badly needs.

Well that's all from me, I'm bak to airg...

Guan

Ahaw · **Posted:** Sat Sep 18, 2010 2:38 am

ididjaustralia wrote:

I know most people on here aren't really interested in what goes on in Arnhem Land...

Hi Guan,
Sad to hear for Yothu-Djarimirr

Wishing you all the best for your new project !!! Sounds awesome !
Hope this and your therapies will put you on some good tracks !
And "joyeux anniversaire" Mandawuy

Cheers,
Francis

davefinch · **Posted:** Sat Sep 18, 2010 4:56 am

I've been expecting that buddy and I'm sure sorry to hear it.

I too have post traumatic stress disorder, high anxiety and clinical depression. I've had courses of cognitive behaviour therapy, counselling and psychological therapy - and a pile of drugs. Therapists say the problem has been a pile of deaths in my own family on top of constant exposure to grim stuff in the cardiac unit where I worked for 8 years, so I guess I can understand a little of what's going on inside for you right now - you're never far from my thoughts.

You have my mobile and email – I’ll send you my home number too! My grand plan is to get stinking filthy rich so I can help you make a difference. Raising consciousness over here through playing or writing stiff letters to MPs etc won’t achieve much so I fancy trying a hard cash approach…

PSYmon · **Posted:** Sat Sep 18, 2010 10:42 am

Aloha Mate,

As mentioned by others above, my heart goes out to everyone in Yothu-Djarimirr's family, yindi mala, mob, community. However one likes to put it, or conceive of it, bukmak Yolngu AND Balanda are ALL connected. Perhaps one of the most profound things I learned in Arnhem land and the NT was how deeply interconnected every aspect of life is, spiritually, through kinship, through anything and everything. So it is naturally for you to feel the way you are feeling, because of how deeply connected you are. Which, let me clarify, is a good thing.

Meeting you during my travels was one of the highlights of my entire journey. Your hospitality and generosity was so very appreciated, and I cannot begin to express how much your work has impacted my own understand of the didj, of Yidaki, of Arnhem Land, of Yolngu, and of Australia as a whole. So thanks for just doing what your doing. You bear a weight which I deeply respect, and wish I could help you carry. Even thought I spent only a month in Arnhem Land, I feel part of it, although differently, for obvious reasons. Meeting such wonderful people and witnessing firsthand the reality of community life, the incompetence of the Government, the decaying levels of health, I am still deeply effected by this even today.

Sitting in my Anthropology class today at uni, I found my mind wandering to my experiences up in Arnhem Land, as it often does. I found myself thinking, 'how does any of THIS (academic anthropology, etc.) solve anything? What good does this do to help the REAL situations facing REAL people, like Manda wainting for his kidneys, or depression, or nutrition?'

If it is any consolation, Guan, what you are doing is REAL, and helps real people, in a real way.

-Simon

ididjaustralia · **Posted:** Sat Sep 18, 2010 10:19 pm

Guys, thanks so much for sharing, and Dave, join the depression club! One thing that is proving especially challenging is for me to stay dry, haven't had a drop of alcohol in a LONG time. It helps me sleep, sure, but its also a depressant so alcohol and feeling down don't go together well. The result is I don't sleep very well these days but hope to go on anti-depressants and sleeping pills soon, I'm just looking forward to a good night's sleep.

Had a number of messages today asking for credit which is always hard to deal with, Adrian Nyinanyina's "GA CREDIT?" is getting to me. Yolngu use pre-paid mobile phones which means they're constantly in need of top-up, in Australia there's a way to transfer one's credit to another phone so that's what I have to put up with almost every day.

Thing on many peoples' minds up north is football, AFL grand final next week and yesterday saw the Magpies beat the Cats comprehensively. Right at this moment, the Saints are battling the Bulldogs with the Saints having an edge over the doggies at half-time. Its funny how Yolngu barrack for teams, often is it through totemic affiliation or club colours - which also have totemic significance. Lots of people going for the doggies, dog being Yirritja in NE Arnhem Land and being part of the cosmology of the Gupapuyngu, Warramiri, Ganalbingu, Ritharrngu, Mildjingi etc.

In contrast, there's little to link Yolngu to the Saints so they naturally have few supporters in Arnhem Land.

My sister Leila Gurruwiwi giving me tickets to next week's grand final tv show on Marngrook in which she is a presenter and reporter, will be my first and should be fun.

From the small things to the big picture... there are some VERY important things on the Australian political landscape happening. Will write again after the football in about an hour!! But in a nutshell, we've just had a Federal election in which Labor was returned to government, and we now have the first elected female Prime Minister as well in Julia Gillard. We also have the first elected Indigenous MP in the House of Representatives, that honour goes to Mr Ken Wyatt.

More later...

Guan

ididjaustralia · **Posted:** Sun Sep 19, 2010 2:54 am

This is awesum, read-on:

Quote:

About Time

Aborigines get top billing in Australia reforms

SYDNEY, September 6, 2010 (AFP) - Australia's Aborigines will be acknowledged as the traditional owners of the land before lawmakers say the Lord's prayer in historic reforms to parliamentary process agreed to Monday.
The "recognition of country" is a routine practice among the regional governments and as part of civil ceremonies but has never been formalised at a national level.
More than 200 years after British settlers arrived on Australia's shores and declared it terra nullius -- land belonging to no one -- the government will now acknowledge its original inhabitants as its first act of daily business.

"It's a bit of a shock," said Aboriginal activist Mick Mundine.

"It's amazing and it's about time it happened; for them to do that I really think it's going to start to bring people together."

The August 21 election also delivered Australia its first indigneous lower house MP, Ken Wyatt, and Mundine said it was "about time we got somebody up at that level."

"Maybe one day we could have a Aboriginal prime minister, you never know, this could be the start of brighter and better things for the future," Mundine told AFP.

It follows the ruling Labor party's landmark 2008 apology for wrongs committed against Aborigines since white settlement in 1788, and Mundine said recognition of their historic links to the land was deeply significant.

"I really believe in my heart and mind when we talk about filling the gap (of Aboriginal disadvantage) we need to have recognition about who we are in the country," he said.

"The respect that will flow will flow right across Australia. The tide is turning, that the government is starting to show respect of who we are is really a blessing."

Tony Abbott, leader of the conservative opposition, landed himself in hot water a few months before the election when he rubbished acknowledgment of Aborigines as paternalistic and "out-of-place tokenism".

The staunch Catholic's description of it as a "genuflection to political correctness" from "old-style lefties" attracted an angry public backlash.

Conservative spokesman Christopher Pyne Monday denied his party's endorsement of the move was hypocritical.

The change was part of a reform deal put forward by three independent MPs left with deciding who should take power after the polls delivered Australia's first hung parliament in 70 years. Wrangling continues, but a decision is expected as early as Tuesday.

However, I'm not sure how any of this will change lives in Arnhem Land, and how the tide of suicide can be slowed. From the big picture national political landscape to the fine-grained view of life in a remote community, it seems that 'bridging the gap' will take a LOT of effort and an acute understanding of on-ground issues by policy-makers and bureaucrats. Somehow I don't have much faith...

Got myself a copy of the Garrangali CD, haven't had a listen yet but am looking forward to it. Also, Galarrwuy has a new CD which he has published independently, I can't remember what the title is and I haven't heard any of the songs though I did see the CD cover... we just couldn't find the CD! Anyway guys, see if you can track down some info online, I couldn't find anything, I may need to call his Gumatj Association for details... just goes to show that not everything is on the web!!!

Oh, football...! The Saints prevailed over the Bulldogs, families not happy in Arnhem Land :cry:

Well that's my 'blog' and therapy for today, more 2morow!

Guan

iDIDJ Australia Didgeridoo Cultural Hub

Wots been happenin here

Who is online